Article Author:
Associated Press
Mark Sherman
WASHINGTON (AP) — Recently retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer named co-chair emeritus of nonpartisan group dedicated to constitutional education . He joined Judge Neil Gorsuch at a time of intense political polarization and growing skepticism about the independence of the courts.
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia said on Thursday that Breyer and Gorsuch, who have been in office since 2019, will be voices for civic education and civility in politics.
The center's president and CEO, Jeffrey Rosen, said the judge's decision to work together was "especially meaningful in this polarized era." rice field.
His 84-year-old Breyer retired at the end of June after nearly 28 years as a judge. His seat was taken by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black woman on the Supreme Court.
Breyer has always been vocal about seeing the courts as anything other than "politicians in robes," but the courts ruled out the constitutional right to abortion and Roe v. . Wade.
In recent months, a court of six Republican-appointed conservatives and three Democrat-appointed liberals has expanded gun rights, weakened the church-state divide, and voted for Biden. Limited the regime's fight against climate change and coronavirus. Pandemic.
Gorsuch had the majority in all these cases, opposed by Breyer.
Challenges to affirmative action in education and major election-related incidents, highlighting a term starting in October, seem likely to create sharper divisions along ideological lines.
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"Despite bitter disagreements in court, Justices Breyer and Gorsuch, like all their colleagues, are united in the common belief that the future of the Republic needs its citizens. We do," Rosen said.
Recent polls show a sharp decline in the court's recognition and its role as a politically contested institution.
Still, Breyer said last week at a bar convention in Chicago that he was optimistic about the US legal system.
In his statement he said:
Breyer also plans to return to teaching at Harvard Law School.
Past Center Chairs include President Joe Biden, who resigned when he launched his presidential campaign in 2019, and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
The center's home in Philadelphia is near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Constitution was drafted.
